Has anyone ever seen this before?

This is Birdie and my sister. Birdie was adopted by a mutual friend from a shelter out west. We have no idea what breed she is or is a mix of. We don't really care because she is sweet and friendly and a fabulous dog.

These are her housemates. A male Rhodesian Ridgeback named Xindika on the left and a female Greyhound named Nellie on the right. Sorry I didn't get more pics, I was trying to not be that annoying person with the camera. (I was at a going away party.)

The interesting thing is this:

Birdie has NO pink spot on her belly. It is completely covered with fur.

Now I have seen alot of dogs. Between working at a vets office and the 100's of shelter dogs over the years I have never run across this before. It made me curious. Has anyone seen this before or have any thoughts?

Caden's tracking progress

Today was tracking day! I will try to get pictures of Caden tracking. I am always out by myself, and usually after work so it is too dark! In the meantime, here is a picture of Caden von der Kleinen Wiese.

I have been busy re-freshing Caden's memory about tracking. He remembered so much that I have jumped in some fairly large increments. After all, he has been tracking since he was 10 weeks old, and started on all surfaces. He literally screams when I come for him and get his harness out. And if you have heard Caden scream, you know it can make your ears bleed.

Today I aged his track for 45 minutes. The weather was crisp and cold and the track was on very dry, dead grass at my new favourite spot, the Westerner, an agriculture and trade show complex in Red Deer. Here is a map...

The track accidentally had one acute angle because I needed to get away from the building. A Festival of Trees was closing and suddenly there were a thousand people pouring out of the building. I generally HATE boxed in tracks like this, but I banked on a few things - he is pretty dead on when he tracks, there was no wind, and the third leg was adjacent to a chain link fence which I figured would help keep him there by holding scent. Also, that I just would not let him get into trouble, of course!

I put less food than the last two tracks - every 5 steps on the first leg, then every 10, then in strategic spots. As with his last two tracks, he finds the walkup and by the time he is at the scent pad he is already motoring. Today, he was dead on, and skipping bait, so I can reduce it even more. He overstepped the acute angle by two steps, then corrected himself. At articles, I run up to treat him, as I have not formally trained articles yet. He knows there is "something" about them, but he does not like the interruption to play (as I found two tracks ago). So he sits for a treat and then we keep going. I think he will use a sit for indications as he does it so naturally.

He crossed a sidewalk and turned left at a tree, taking this turn very smartly. He went nicely along the boulevard to a driveway into a parking lot. At this spot, I turned on the non-veg into the lot. He found the turn after casting back and forth a few times to the opposite boulevard onto the road, then finally, into the lot, but never once asked me for help. This was an incremental improvement over his last track where he looked at me and stopped on dirt.

Today, he was nose down on the pavement. Articles don’t register with him yet, as I thought he might see it and run to it, but he doesn’t think that way yet.

The track was 326 metres (about 300 yards) I did a track for River too but it was only aged about 20 minutes because it was getting dark and she said “this is the track of a simpleton!” Good for confidence, anyway!

I love this picture of the two of them playing - such joy!

Jet's view of the lesson

She's still an idiot!

Jet

PS Writing is stupid

Special correspondent Ted: The Lesson

Ted thinks he is ready to resume writing about his experiences, so I have let him post his point of view, to counter mine (about the lesson yesterday) below.

Ted:

So I get out of the car (finally) and we walk right by this pen with sheep! I can't stop looking at them. Donna takes me into another field, and she is clearly facing the wrong way. I keep trying to say - there they are, behind you. I am twitching to go, but trying to figure out the fence between us. I figure I can get over it, with enough running room.

Donna keeps walking forward, what is she doing? Then, I see more sheep! Way up there. I'm off! I guess I went too fast. Oops. Here comes Scott. I guess that is the end of my creative herding streak. No one appreciates artists.

What? Walk? Crap! I am an athlete. I run like the wind. What? Walk? If I must. OK, I'm walking, I'm walking. Those sheep are leaning a little. Away? Great! That fixed them. In fact what would really fix them is if I ran to the front to stop them. What? WALK MORE? What is with all this walking. It is cramping my style. They are leaning again...Come Bye? OK, and thanks for that!

Hey, I think I am getting it. I feel in control. Look at those sheep. They are listening to ME. I am the MAN. I am a herding machine. This is great! Walking is great!

What? That'll do? How do they know? But I run back. I get a pat from Scott. It's great to see him. I walk out with Donna, back past those other sheep. I pull on my leash. Hey, maybe we could go walk those ones around too! I need to master the walk!

What? In the car? Hey, what are you doing with Jet? What? OK, while she is gone, I will have a drink, and then, I will rip up an old grocery bag, since that is another thing I am very good at.

The highlight of the day...we stopped at Airdrie to drive through Tim Horton's. Clearly these people know I am special. I've never been to this Tim's but they gave me a timbit. My picture must be hanging up by the drive-through window.

What a great day!

Ted, Special Correspondent

Herding with the Zen Master

No, this is not a pictures of Scott Glen but it does look like Buddha with a stock stick!

Today, after thinking about my lesson yesterday, I would like to write about Herding Meditation. There is a famous Zen saying that goes like this:

Before Enlightenment, chop wood, carry water
After Enlightenment, chop wood, carry water

I love this saying, because it means nothing in your life changes. It is your mind that changes. Now, you will chop wood and carry water "mindfully" with an appreciation for the importance of the smallest and most humble of tasks.

Thich Nhat Hanh is one of my Buddhist teachers. He is a Vietnamese monk who came to the US in the 1960s to make a case for the situation in his country. He was a friend of Martin Luther King Jr. and he is the Nobel Peace Laureate for 1964. Still actively writing and speaking today, his books bring the simplicity and beauty of Buddhist practice to everyday life - especially his best seller Peace is Every Step. Called "Thay" (teacher), he seems to me to be a very kind and enlightened man. He is not pushing Buddhism as much as he wants people to live with peace and happiness.

In his books Peace is Every Step and the Art of Living Mindfully, he talks to the busy person about how to introduce small moments of appreciation and meditation to your life. He is very funny, writing about Washing Dishes Meditation, Driving Meditation, Phone Ringing thankfulness, Walking Meditation.

This takes us to my lesson yesterday and why Scott Glen is my favourite Zen Master of stockdog training!

The batteries in my camera died, but it is probably just as well no pictures were taken of me with Jet and Ted, because I am so rusty after months of not working since my move. In fact, it is a credit to my dogs that they were as good as they were, considering the changes in our lives in the past year. On my way home, I spent a good deal of "driving meditation" thinking about how my handling has been set back with a lot of upheaval in the past year. But, what better time for a new beginning - because, that is what we have every day. New beginnings.

I've been busy adopting a "live in the present moment" philosophy lately and this pairs up perfectly with dog training, because that is how dogs think! Scott gave me some excellent goals and training tips to move forward and get back into shape in the field. As always, there are so many pieces to work on. It is OK to have the big picture goal of trialing, but if you train that way it takes you away from the moment. Dog training is a great way to stay focused.

For example, let's take Ted. Yesterday morning I wrote that I am trying to work on the turn around the handler. Yesterday during my lesson, I realized I am way ahead of myself (thinking of the future). Scott pointed out (and has said this before) not to think about trials, think about training, now! It is fine to have the big picture goal of trialing, but without training in the present, you are not going to have the right focus.

With Scott's help, I learned how to work with Ted to keep him driving and not go to the head of the sheep by watching his every step and kindly but firmly reminding Ted where he should be. This constant feedback and direction to Ted meant never letting your mind wander, and being completely aware and involved as he worked the sheep. I also had to be reminded of my tone - to use it the right way in my commands.

Being mindful and aware of what was actually going on every second while working Ted is so important. This goes to show you how you can read all of these books about living in the moment - but applying it to your every day life is not always obvious. It comes out in the subtleties.

Next, Jet. The lesson there - keep it calm and keep from over-commanding! Jet tends to lose her head, so my job is to keep mine, and help her to stay calm. This is a huge responsibility both to Jet, and to the sheep we are working. For Jet, the goal is to watch the sheep, to see how they are reacting to her. The moment the sheep pick up their pace, is the moment to calmly tell Jet to take her time.

This is truly multi-tasking at its finest - sheep, dog and handler. When I was in there with Scott seeing the potential for this to come together so nicely, I was reminded about the beauty of stockdog work.

Focus, mindfulness, present moment, awareness, calmness, simplicity, tone, responsibility, kindness, and being "one" with your dog and sheep. I am very sure this is what Thich Nhat Han would call Herding Meditation.

I just watched a DVD of Eckhart Tolle (author of The Power of Now and other books) speaking at a retreat in Scotland. He made a joke to the audience that had so much meaning. He said we can worry about the future, but guess what, when the future arrives, it will be NOW. The same goes for the stockdog trial of the future. If I can't discipline my mind in training to be in the present moment, I am not going to have the discipline to be completely present for the minutes on the trial field.

"Buddha" is not a name. It actually means "Awakened One." I like the ties between working with my dogs, and waking up to the importance of being in the present moment and appreciating the things we can do TODAY; not living in the past, and definitely not living in the future. A focus on all of my future hopes and dreams would rob me of the day I have to work with my dogs today. And these decisions - how we work every day - will help unfold the future in a positive way.

This is very powerful, and yet very simple. And there is nothing like a dog to keep you here in the moment. Dogs are like little Buddhas - they live in the moment. As always, they are much smarter than most of us when it comes to these simple things.

So, that is all very deep and reflective. The real work comes in the practice. It is not about talking and thinking - it is about practicing these things until they are a habit. And hey, that is another thing both Thay, and Scott, tell their students.

There is just one last thing. Many traditional Buddha statues show Buddha with multiple hands, and eyes on the hands. The reason is that it shows how someone who is enlightened has many eyes to see with compassion and many hands for acting (the practice) and not just talking or thinking. Do you think that Zen Masters of Herding have the advantage of extra eyes and hands? When I struggle away and then watch Scott, he sure makes it look that way! I want that!

For more info on herding with the Zen Master of Stockdog Training, visit http://www.altapetestockdogs.com/clinics.htm

Interested in Thich Nhat Hanh? Click here for more and other links - http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=29&Itemid=161

Chloe the prison dog

I am in love with this dog. She is so much fun to work with and incredibly sweet. If I had the space for a 4th dog I would be in SO much trouble right now. Someone really had no idea the gem they had in this dog. Their loss!

She just loves to work and is very smart. She is also very beautiful and has bounced back from having puppies wonderfully and has filled out well. I took Jack to work with me one day and while she was to defensive to play with him this time, she had great focus on her handlers and worked well with him there as a distraction. Hopefully seeing him play with her tug toy and ball will spark an interest in it for her. We at least got some dog slobber and scent on them for her. The handlers report she doesn't seem interested in playing with toys at all. It is possible due to her past neglect she never learned to play or that she was not allowed to play.

I ordered the DVD from http://www.leerburg.com/ on The Power of Marker Training and we have incorporated that into our program with great results. There has been some adjustment for us as what I was doing was similar but not exactly the same. I am VERY impressed with the video and it is well worth the time it takes to watch. (3 & 1/2 hours) It has great detail and shows many video examples. Of course I also love the beginning where he apologizes for using some of the methods he has used in the past on dogs. This is a guy with 40 + years of experience! He even admits that he used to laugh at this training method in the past and how he was wrong. I love a man who can admit his mistakes.

So for anyone interested in learning more about positive training with operant conditioning for dogs this is a great video. And for those not interested in "clicker" training, you can use verbal cues instead, which is what I have always done and what they show predominately in the video. And luring is also allowed so it can be used with deaf dogs as well using hand cues.

Chloe is doing well and I expect she will be very easy to place when she graduates the program. It is just to bad that not all shelter dogs get to benefit from this hands on training. So many dogs, so little time.

Missy gets a new bed

Missy got a new pretty bed for her nightime spot. Since she sleeps in my daughters room I thought this would go better with her "decor".

She seems to like it just fine.

Lesson Day at Phantom Ridge

Photo: This is my Blackthorn Willow crook, ordered from Scotland in 2006. Will I ever be ready to use it in a real trial? The handle is ram's horn, and on the silver ring there is a thistle, and it says 'Spiritdance.' I chose Blackthorn Willow because that was Thorn's registered name, so it is very special to me. Blackthorn is a favourite of stickmakers. Isn't it beautiful? Maybe the bigger question is if I will ever get it off of it's display hook!

Today I am heading to Louanne Twa's for a day-long herding clinic with Scott Glen. I am bringing both Jet and Ted of course. Caden and River are coming for the drive, and Shaman is staying home with his nice puffy bed and two bones.

Louanne is in High River, just south of Calgary. This is the first time I am driving this way since moving here in August. It will also be the first time I have a lesson with Scott since moving here. One of the reasons I chose to move to Alberta is for this kind of opportunity! The last time I had lessons with Scott, it was a two-day drive. This time - two hours.

One of my big challenges right now is getting back into the groove - I am rusty on my handling and my poor dogs have only worked a bit since July at home in Thunder Bay. I have found a wonderful place to practice at Randy Dye's Eagle Creek Livery, only 30 minutes from where I live. Another challenge is learning to whistle. At one point I was doing "OK" and now I just suck at it. But I can't practice with my dogs, I have to go back to whistling in my car, when they are NOT in it!

Now that I am in an area where I can actually trial my dogs, I have to buckle down and get ready to finally attempt to put things together. The other day, I worked with Ted on getting the turn around the handler (me) after the Outrun, Lift and Fetch. In my mind, I picture what I want to do, but making it happen is not always so easy.

I will take my camera today, Louanne's place looks like it has beautiful views of the Mountains. Here are links to her website and blog - well worth the look!

http://www.phantomridgebordercollies.com/
http://www.phantomridgebordercollies.blogspot.com/

Stay tuned for a report of the day!

Pug history 101

I like reading about the history of dog breeds. It took me awhile but I tracked down one about pugs that has some great info. It turns out that it is believed they developed from the same lines as the bullmastiff and not bulldogs. There are even photos of skulls of various dogs included. It is most interesting to note that when they were developed that they did have a nose on them, and not the extreme flat faces they have now. (or even as shown on the book cover)



I'm throwing in a bunch of Jenny photos for someone to look at that has smooth brussell griffons. It has been mentioned that perhaps she is a cross with a smooth BG due to how much she looks like one in the face and has a similar body type. I have only seen one smooth BG in person and it was such a long time ago I am unsure if this is a realistic possibility. After seeing the photos in the history book however I believe she looks like more of the original pug type. I think they used to call that a throwback.

Another thing I found interesting from the book is that is used to be very common practice to crop pugs ears.

I should have gotten more pics of her profile so you can see her nose.

We don't really care what she is, we are smitten. I have now been charmed by the pug breed. I guess that may make Jenny our "gateway" pug. :-)

A message from Ted, special correspondent

My dog Ted is one of those dogs who can't leave me alone when I try to type. He is on and around my lap and hands constantly. Last winter, I decided he must have important things to say so I let him send some trial correspondence to friends by private email. He was funny, charming and quite witty too. People really enjoyed Ted's observations on life here at Spiritdance.

Well, it has been awhile since Ted has written anything and just now, he was climbing up on my lap, paws flailing at the keyboard. I thought it was time to let him write something new, but I think he has writer's block - either that, or he is too shy to go public as a blog is bigger than an email to friends.

This is what Ted wrote tonight:

667gtty6h98u76666666666666666666666665x7tyhb ,-=[23E

I8uoy76t

If anyone out there understands the secret code of Border Collies, please let me know what it means!

Donna (and Ted, who is keeping his secret)

A Bit More About McNab Dog Breed

Many a times - not so often though, I receive tele-calls and emails from people far and wide, inquiring if I can get them McNab puppies or can give them any clue about a McNab breeder. "I can't", I say, because I don't know any McNab breeder, here in India. Most of the times I find people, heard of the breed, but don't know much about them. Interestingly, just the last week I got two phone calls from my friends asking "What is McNab Dogs... How do they look like?" "Much like a Border Collie," I told both of them.

Friends... hope you guys won't mind reading a little bit about McNabs once again, although I had writen about this beautiful breed before... check out "McNabs". This fabulous breed, although known only by the name "McNab" world wide, is actually called McNab Shepherds. Originated in United States, this is one of those fewest dog breeds that have not yet been recognized by any major Kennel club, besides The National Stock Dog Registry, which is the major registry of McNab dogs so far.

Spanning back to 1866, we would find a name Mr. Alexander McNab, who used to raise sheep dogs in the Gampian Hills of Scotland. After many years of staying in Scotland, Mr. Alexander McNab decided to shift to Northern California along with his family. While shifting he took with himself a Scotch Collie from Scotland; he built a McNab Ranch upon a 10,000 acres of lush green land. But a pity that the dog had a short life and Mr couldn't use him in developing a new breed. Mr. Alexabder McNb wasn't happy working with the kind of dogs he found in his time.

Later in the year 1885, he went back to Scotland and imported a couple of male dogs (Scotch collies) - the ones that he was actually accostomed to work with. He named them Fred (a natural head Scotch collie) and Peter (natural head & drive Scotch collie). Mr. McNab actually left Ferd in Scotland until the completion of his general training session. Peter was brought to California.

During this point of time Mr. McNab's attention was captured by a typically Spanish dog breed, which were brought to America by Basque sheep herders, they say. Both Fred and Peter was bred to female herding dog of Spanish origin. Candidlly speaking I don't have a clue as to what kind of dogs did these Basque sheep herders bring that time. Over times selective and continuous breedings ultimately gave birth to what we call McNab Shepherds today. During the entire project of development of this breed, Alexander McNab did not divert his focus from the "herding quality" of the dog. It is said that the origin of the McNab Shepherd dogs are the Fox collie or Scotch Collie... both are reported to be the ancestors of Original Border Collies.

Other Names of the McNab Shepherd:

McNab Border Collie
McNab Sheepdog
McNab Herding Dog

Obama Dog Issue - Obama Confused With US President Dog 2008

Hey... here's an updated news about adopting a dog by Obama. Many didn't know about the President's promise of getting Melia and Sasha a dog until the news created a sensational buzz across the web. I am sure some of my readers were also unware of the fact until they dropped by this blog. Well, now I am going to come up with something more interesting! A record shows that there have been an incredible number of around over 42,000 people who got involved in making a decision – as important as, what breed of dog should the US President, Mr. Barack Obama choose for his daughters.

Interesting, the American Kennel Club (AKC) launched an online poll for the President in order to get the views of the general mass on what canine breed should Obama pick. Over 42,000 people have cast their vote over the summerlong seven weeks campaign on Obama's dog breed. And Guess What???? The campaign result was fully against adopting a goldendoodle. Instead Poodle clinched the nomination by winning over the top two contenders by some hundreds of votes. The other names that were also nominated were Miniature Schnauzer, Bichon Frise and Chinese Crested Hairless Dog, because of their non-shading nature... so-called hypoallergenic coat, friendly nature and moderate energy level.

American Kennel Club (AKC) has promised the President to give every assistance to Obama family regarding the acquiring and upkeeping the puppy. That's a great news indeed, but Obama hasn't reacted over the outcome of AKC's poll. He is free to pick whatever he wants. Very recently Michelle Obama told “Entertainment Tonight” that the Obama family is going to adopt a rescue dog instead of a purebred dog from any breeder. Interestingly, The People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has sent out a letter to the President stating that adopting a purebred dog would be elitist. The Best Friends Animal Society said that they have accumulated over 50,000 signatures to persuad the US president to adopt a dog instead of having one bred or purchased from a breeder engaged in breeding purebred dogs.

Obama said smiling: "Obviously, a lot of shelter dogs are mutts like me." "So whether we're going to be able to balance those two things, I think, is a pressing issue on the Obama household," he added. But the confusion is on rise regarding US president dog 2008.

Pomeranian Dog - Dog Breeds Information

Pomeranian is one of the many small breeds that have earned a good deal of popularity across the globe. This breed is believed to have descended from wolf-spitz type dogs that had migrated from the north of Russia and Siberia to Pomerania some long time ago. Researches have laid down the fact that Pomeranian shares the same ancestors with the arctic canine breeds like Keeshond and Samoyed. During the early period these spitz type dogs were used to work as sledge dogs and for guarding, however the smallest breeds were kept as companion dogs.

Tons of historical information could be found while dealing with the breed, Pomeranian, although, as a matter of fact, this breed were not known by this name until 1761, when Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III imported a couple of Zwergspitz - as the breed used to be known in Germany. But many of the works of Martin Luther (1483-1546) gave us the evidence of the popularity of the breed. Martin Luther owned a Pomeranian called Belferlein whom he mentioned quite often in many of his writings. There are a few other evidences like these that gave us an indiaction of the popularity of the breed back in 16^th and 17^th centuries too. Michelangelo's (1475-1564) Pom gave him company when he painted the famous 'Sistine Chapel ceiling'. Diamond – the pom of the genius Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727) became famous after destroying Newton's research manuscripts. We still remember those kind words of Sir Newton to his darling little Pomaranian, Diamond after he destroyed his master's precious work: “Thou knowest the little mischief thou hast done”. We also know about Pimperl, the cute female pomeranian of music maestro Mozart (1756-1791). Mozart loved Pimperl so much that he dedicated an aria to her. The famous composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period Frédéric Chopin also gave us an indication of his love for his friend's Pomeranian, for whom he composed the "Valse des Petits Chiens".

Here is a brief profile for Pomeranian dogs:

General Appearance: Pomeranian is a small breed with an well formed compact and dainty structure, displaying a great glamor with dense coat. The tail is carried straight over the back of the dog, withouth being curled. As per the standard the tail should lie flat on the back, which is the is a characteristic of this breed, whichg sets the Pomeranian apart from any other dogs of spitz group. The crowning glory of the breed is due to it's profuse plume of the tail that reaches almost the back of the head, giving the dog a glorious impresion of the fluffy ball. The small round head, short fine muzzle, medium sized almond eyes and the tiny pricked ears gives an intelligent expression, adding an appeal to the breed overall look. Pomeranian has fine bones, short neck, short coupled solid body and cat-like feet. The gait is really impressive with plenty of style and sweetly smart gesture. The Pomeranian comes in a wide range colors including Cream, Black, Wolf Sable, Chocolate, Blue, Merle, Orange, Beaver, White, Orange Sable, and even Black & Tan and Parti color.

Size: Dogs - 1.8. kg to 2 kg; Bitches - 2kg. to 2.5. kg.

Height: Ranging from 20.3 cm – 27.9cm (8 inches – 11 inches). It should ne noted hereby that the standard of the breed deviates from most of the other dog breeds by requiring a size slightly larger for the females than the males.

Average Life Span: Average life span of Pomeranian is about 12 years. But it is not unusual for an well bred and well maintained Pomeranian to live happily even beyind that. Keeping your pom trimmed and scientifically maintained reduces the risk of health problems, thereby increasing the life span to even 19 years.

Temperament: Pomeranian is a playful family member, lively and very intelligent, with a bit too extrovert by nature. Due to his diminutive size accompanied by higher level of energy, Pomeranian should not be kept with children. This breed sometimes proves to be unfamiliar with kids. This breed is a good guard dog.

Specific Health Problems: Pomeranian is amongst the sturdy dog breeds and usually suffers from very few health problems. But there are certainly some specific ailments that the breed is commonly afflicted to. Some of the diseases are:

• Patella Luxation (Slipping Kneecaps) – like most of the toy breeds Pomeranians are often afflicted to this disease. Proper diet and right medication may be the solution but in worst cases, surgery may be the last resort.
• Collapsing trachea – This is again a very common ailments that the Pomeranians usually suffers from. Poms affected with this condition would make honking noise when excited. They would cough due to the feeling of the collapsing trachea.
• Hypothyroidism (low thyroid), eczema, mites, fungus infections, cushings disease, Entropian or ingrown eyelashes,Perthes disease are some of the other problems that this cute little breed may be affected with.
  

Other Information:

Other Names - Zwergspitz, Spitz nain, Spitz enano, Pom, Zwers
Country of origin – Germany and Poland
Classifications & standards -
a) Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) - Group Section 4 #97
b) American Kennel Club (AKC) - Toy
c) Australian National Kennel Council (ANKC) - Group 1 (Toys)
d) Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) - Group 5 - Toys
e) Kennel Club (KC, United Kingdom) - Toy
f) Newzealand Kennel Club (NZKC) - Toy
g) United Kennel Club (UKC) - Companion Breeds

A hunt For Obama Daughters' Hypoallergenic Dog Breed

Barack Obama's winning of the presidential election has created a buzz in the dog world too. Immediately after he won the election, he expressed his love to have a dog for his beloved daughters. That was really a graet news for us, dog lovers. Personally, I feel more happy, the more I find dog lovers' population increasing!

A grand welcome to Obama to our world of dogs.

Dogs have always been a good company for almost all US presidents, and Obama doesn’t want to make any difference during his term too. But one certain barrier for one of his two daughters, ten-year-old Malia, in adopting a dog was the allergy, although she wanted a Goldendoodle - a mixed breed of Golden retriever and poodle. Malia is not alone. This has always been a case that stopped many dog lovers to become dog owners. Malia loves dog but she can't stay along with most of the furry breeds. Any breed that Obama would like to get for his daughters Melia and Sasha would have to be hypoallergenic. Let me not hide and seek... candidly speaking, no dog is actually hypoallergenic. Non-shading breeds would suit best for her.

Breeds like Chinese Crested Dog (not the Powderpuff version, but the Hairless one), Poodles, Bichon frise, Westies (West Highland White Terriers), Portuguese water dogs, Scottish terriers would be amongst the right picks for Melia. But before we dog lovers could suggest a breed for Melia, Peru offered the new US president a dog that is native to South America. It's a Peruvian Hairless Dog and his name is "EARS". No other breed could be better than what Peru has because this breed doesn't have a single hair to shed. Claudia Galvez, the head of the "Peru’s Friends of the Hairless Dog Association", said that Peruvian Hairless Dog is perfect for Obama and his family as it doesn’t have any hair to shed. According to Ms Galvez, Peruvian Hairless Dog doesn't cause any sort of allergies. She stated: "They do not cause any type of allergy and are very friendly and sweet. We want to give a male puppy to Obama’s daughters, so they get to experience all the joys of having a dog but without any allergies." She sent a letter to the US embassy in Lima (capital of Peru), asking if Mr. Obama would like to adopt ‘Ears’, the four-month-old toothless Peruvian Hairless pup, to be his First Dog.

Obama said, "Our preference is to get a shelter dog, though this might be a challenge, given that a lot of shelter dogs are mutts like me."

Forget about the world crisis, forget about the troops in Iraq; we dog lovers are waiting anxiously to know what dog is Obama getting for his daughters Melia and Sasha? If I was in Obama's place I would have spared a bit of thought on Lilly - the lovable milky white boxer, who is also known as Obama Dog, who barked a lot to support Barack Obama on the 2008 presidential election. Please visit Lilly Site here

Jet and Ted come home to Alberta

Jet and Ted are both from Scott and Jenny Glen in New Dayton, south of Lethbridge. Making the decision to get a Border Collie (and then another) was life changing for me. It meant leaving behind a lot of ideas I had about conformation and breeding, and learning the concepts of dogs bred to work - based on real work, and not on the form and appearance of a working dog. For the past three years, they have filled my life with a lot of joy as these dogs are so bright it is like having little children who never grow beyond that adorable stage where they love you without hesitation. Since Scott bred them and has helped me train both of them, I can't take credit for how beautifully behaved or how smart they are.

But I will take full credit for their quirks (well, maybe not all of Ted's) and the way they play. And what is interesting to me, is that the way they play is also how they herd. Ted is very gentle and happy, and eager to please; Jet is intense and all business.

Border Collies love to retrieve and so teaching them to indicate articles for tracking is very easy. Ted is downright possessive of any object he claims, from a big stick, to a glove, to the tiny piece of fluff he blew from his mouth onto my lap the other day, tail just wagging! When he finds something he lies back with his ears up and head cocked, waiting for me to toss it. He gets over-excited and is very eager to play and make me happy. Sometimes he reminds me of Charlie Brown's Snoopy the way he will dance with a toy or stick.

Jet is also possessive but in an assertive and bitchy way. She will lie over an object and touch it with her chin, which is her tracking indication. She will then guard it with an upright posture and glaring eyes. Since Jet is more of an experienced tracker, she also highly values getting an object to present to me, to prove her brilliance and superiority. Look at her submissive, happy look below as she gives me the stick she took away from Ted. Jet wants to please too, but in her own way, which does not involve any silly or goofy shenanigans.

This is my very happy, very loving Jet. She does have that side, when she feels she has done a good job and knows you are pleased with her.

I have never seen dogs whose eyes were more expressive, from dark black and flat with intensity, to glinting with joy and mischief in the blink of, well, of an eye!

SAR and tracking

In the photo above, River (on the left) and Caden, her best buddy, to the right, are following a track I laid at my friend Nancy's two weekends ago. I was so happy to be out at Nancy's - she has 20 acres; great for tracking!

I have joined the Canadian Search Dog Association and am busy training Caden to become a SAR dog. He has a ton of drive which is no suprise considering his European herding and working bloodlines. Since River is 8 years old, she won't do SAR but she still has a fantastic nose. I laid a track for her a few weeks ago, and let it age until it was 17 hours old, then ran her on it. It was an urban track, with field, gravel, ashpalt and concrete, along with a building, parking lot, road and pond along the way. River simply nailed her track. I will always be grateful to her for introducing me to urban tracking and for her enthusiasm and passion for tracking. She loves nothing better.

Caden is a bit behind in his training, due to my big move to Alberta. I started him as a wee pup on hard surface tracking, and he certainly knows what it is all about. But he is not where he should be if I had been at home and on a schedule. At SAR training, he has played the runaway game and shows great desire to air scent.

However, I have decided that based on everything I know and all that the people I respect tell me, I will teach him to track or trail before I let him hold his head up. I know he can easily switch to air scenting from tracking but I am not confident of the other way around. Teaching him to track with confidence will take me from now until Christmas...6 weeks of regular training.

Now that I am settled, I plan to buckle down with everyone! I miss the routine of tracking, and will begin to chronicle the progress I am making with Caden von der Kleinen Wiese. He is a fabulous pup, with a wonderful personality and temperament. For those of you who knew my dog Hawk, Caden is like Hawk's ghost - he reminds me so much of that great dog of yesteryear. I thank Sandy Wilson for putting Caden in my hands - her website is linked in a sidebar menu to your right.

Here is another great shot of my new boy, Caden...

Rescue Remedy Warning & Bones, a yummy treat

Thank you to Nancy of "A Dogs Life" blog for the warning regarding Xylitol in Rescue Remedy Pastilles. Rescue remedy is a Bach flower essence used in both people and animals as a homeopathic remedy for stress and anxiety. It seems the new candy version of the product contains Xylitol, an artificial sweetener that unfortunately is toxic to dogs. For more info check out her blog at Maine Today. (link on my blogroll to the right)

Warning to vegetarians who may be reading: Graphic meat photos to follow.

Tonight for supper the dogs all got some deer ribs. This was my first experience giving them bones to be crunched up and eaten and I admit some nervousness. I am learning as I go in this raw food journey.

I had nothing to worry about however. Jenny had no problem figuring out how to enjoy the new treat. Of course she will eat most anything. (Sorry for the crummy pics, my camera was on it's last leg battery wise. I'm lucky I got these.)

Missy McStrong jaws made pretty quick work of it too. (she was the fastest, no surprise)

Jack wasn't to sure at first and played with his abit. He tried moving his to the rug and then his bed but I wouldn't let him eat them there. I wanted to be able to clean it up easily.

The girls finished theirs and Jack was still playing so I picked his up. Then I decided to try kenneling him as well to eat and it worked like a charm. I think he is so used to Jenny stealing his food (given the opportunity she will and he lets her) that he couldn't relax and eat. Problem solved with the crate. They really enjoyed the bones and I will definitely be getting more of them. I switched them to another Wellness for the breakfast kibble. The fish version seemed to make Jenny itchy so I put her back to the simple solutions Wellness too. (I did put her on full raw for abit but found it was easier to have one meal kibble for every dog due to my schedule.) I did wise up and started mixing their meat in bigger batches so I have enough for a week now instead of a few days. That has made things somewhat easier.

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I am really happy they did so well with the bones. I want to be able to give them regularly for the dental benefits they provide. To see them crunching them easily made me feel much better about the whole process. And seeing them enjoy their ribs so much was also very satisfying. My only regret is not trying this sooner.

Miyako youtube addict

A very shy and sound sensitive Border Collie Miyako rescued by Tracy, was very worried about the noise of the clicker among other noises.  While watching a youtube video with a clicker in it, her owner noticed Miyako seemed interested, so she started conditioning the noise of the clicker on the computer with treats! I think that is such a cool thing to do!  A great game to play with a sound sensitive dog.  The cool thing is you could raise the volume incrementally with just a click of a button. 

It's so wonderful to see a dog blossoming when she is in the right situation and given the right information. 

'Her confidence is building in many ways and this shows in her posture in the last photo. She looks relaxed, content, and no longer fearful of the camera.'

Gosh, had to post the pics too, because Miya is so darn cute!